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The Beastly Porsche 918 Spyder

The Porsche 918 Spyder is a stunning feat of electrical engineering. Although it is now over 3 years after production, this car still reverberates with fans worldwide. From October 2013 to May 2015, the 918 Spyder was produced at Stuttgart, Zuffenhausen, Germany. There is only 918 units of the 918 Spyder… surprising, right? No… probably not. Either way, that number is no longer exact due to the 918s that were considered a total loss in accidents. Furthermore, the designer for the 918 Coupe and Spyder is Michael Mauer. Thanks to him, Porsche fans can melt in awe as the 918 accelerates to 218 MPH.

4.6-Liter V8 with 2 Electric Motors

Porsche 918 Spyder – Engine Bay – Wikipedia – EuroDrift

The Porsche 918 Spyder sports a 4.6-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine. Furthermore, there are two electric motors on the front and rear axles. The V8 itself produces 608 horsepower and 389 lb.-ft. of torque. Next, the electric motors add 279 horsepower and 555 lb.-ft. of torque. So, overall, this vehicle produces a whopping 887 horsepower and 944 lb.-ft. of torque… phew! Not surprisingly, this allows the 918 Spyder to reach high speeds quickly:

0 to 60 MPH: 2.5 Seconds

0 to 124 MPH: 7.2 Seconds

0 to 186 MPH: 19.9 Seconds

Finally, Porsche states the 918 Spyder’s top speed is 217 MPH, but the video below shatters this by 1 MPH (218 MPH).

Reaching 218 MPH with Technology

Porsche 918 Spyder – Rear Corner – Wikipedia – EuroDrift

As shown above, the Porsche 918 Spyder is a beast of a machine. This engine setup works in combo with a 7-speed PDF dual-clutch transmission. Furthermore, there is a 6.8 kWh liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery with a 420-mile range built-in. All this tech allows the driver in the video to hit amazing speed. The German Autobahn has sections in which there is no speed limit, allowing cars like this to reach their full potential. Caution is still advised, but as seen, many people in Germany respect the rules of the left lane. In the video below, enjoy as this vehicle surpasses expectations and reaches high speed.

Does the Porsche 918 Spyder Have More Potential?

The Porsche 918 Spyder is a dream worthy car for many auto enthusiasts. From it’s overly powerful engine setup to its visual appearance, this car is of the new age. Electric cars are starting to take over the market, slowly, but steadily. In the future, it shouldn’t be a surprise when Ferrari decides to delve into the electric power realm. The Porsche 918 Spyder shows the world that electric cars can be the crème of the crop. In conclusion, the 918 Spyder can reach 218 mph… do you think it can go any higher?

There’s a popular misconception that there are no speed limits on the Autobahn. About 40% of the German Autobahn system is speed regulated. However, did you immediately catch the significance of that? If 40% is regulated, that means 60% is NOT.

Today’s German Autobahn system stretches 8,047 miles across most of Germany. They post speed limits on the Autobahn near cities and across stretches with a history of accidents. However, even then, the speed limit stays a fast 81 mph.

History of the Autobahn

In 1929, Germany built its first Autobahn link between Opladen and Dusseldorf. After seeing the benefits of this high-speed road system, Adolf Hitler started a program to build two east-west and north-south links. However, despite the propaganda of the time, the Autobahn was not built for military purposes. Before the horrendous acts that led to World War II began to occur in the late 1930s, the Autobahn helped bring Germany out of the depression. The road system allowed Germany to promote economic growth by generating additional jobs in construction.

Initially, the limited-access road was used by the Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix racing team for high-speed record attempts. Rudolf Caracciola set one of the highest speeds for a public roadway during this time. The racing came to an end in 1938 with the tragic death of a popular German race driver, Bern Rosemeyer. Shortly after, when the War broke out, they used the roads for military transport.

After WWII, new sections of the system were added onto the existing Autobahns. Each decade saw additions to the roads until they reached their current span just after the turn of the Millennium.

“The Autobahn” is a Misnomer

Often, foreigners will refer to the German road system as “The Autobahn” when in fact it forms a series of connected roads. Similar to the interstates found in America, these roads have multiple lanes of traffic flowing in two directions. Often, they have a central barrier and shoulders to the side.

In 1974, The German government adopted an autobahn numbering system. Each road identifies itself by a capital “A” followed by a number. Larger autobahns that cross the country have single digits, while shorter roads have double digits.

Some very short stretches of road exist which they designed only for local traffic. Each of these roads uses three digits. They base which digits they use on the direction of travel (e.g. east to west, north to south).

The Speed Limit on the German Autobahns

The autobahns serve as the German freeways. As we already stated, over half of these roads do not post set speed limits. The ones that do serve heavily congested areas near cities. Also, certain stretches of road with dangerous curves have posted regulations.

During inclement weather, parts of the Autobahn system come under speed regulation and they enforce limits set in construction zones.

Posted “recommendations” for speed limits show on the roads where no official speed regulation exists. If a car exceeds the recommendation and causes an accident, they might have liability for damages. However, it’s pretty common to see a Porsche or BMW flying down the road at over 100 mph.

In the late 1990’s, one of Germany’s political parties took up the cause of environmentalism. They claimed that the high speeds were contributing to air pollution and pushed for a national speed limit. They were unsuccessful at imposing the national limit, but they did manage to pass regulations in forested areas.

Autobahn Accident Statistics

Over the past decade, traffic fatalities across all of the European nations have seen a decline. However, a good number of accidents still occur on the Autobahn.

Out of the total accidents that occurred on the Autobahn, 67% of them happened in areas that featured no posted speed limit.

Rural road deaths that occurred on the Autobahn were 5 times more than the deaths that occurred in automobile accidents.

In 2013, deaths on the Autobahn rose by 8% over those in 2012.

For drivers who want to go fast, the Autobahn is perfect. Large stretches of the road have no posted speed limits and other drivers understand how to navigate speeding traffic. With over 8000 miles of road before you, you can drive for days.